Nelson, Marion J.

Marion John Nelson was an art history professor and a collector of art pottery. He received his degrees from the University of Minnesota, where he also taught. Dr. Nelson's chief interests were Scandinavian art, the arts and crafts of Scandinavian immigrants in the United States, and American art pottery. He wrote or contributed to more than a dozen books, and was curator of more than fifty art and pottery exhibits. Books which he edited or wrote include Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition; Art Pottery of the Midwest; and Norwegian-American Wood Carving of the Upper Midwest. Dr. Nelson was made a knight in the Royal Order of St. Olaf, an honor conferred by King Olav V of Norway. He served as director of Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. Dr. Nelson's wife Lila joined him in collecting art pottery and worked with him in researching potteries in Ohio. Dr. Nelson died in September 2000.

Marion John Nelson, B.A. (1947), M.A. (1950), Ph.D. (1960) University of Minnesota. Instructor (1957-1959), assistant professor (1959-1963), associate professor (1963-1971), professor, Department of Art History, University of Minnesota. Considered an expert on Norwegian-American decorative folk and fine art. Marion Nelson was born in Fergus Fall, Minnesota in 1924, the son of Scandinavian immigrant parents, who became a foremost expert on Norwegian-American decorative, folk, and fine art. He studied at the University of Minnesota, receiving his P.D. in 1960, and spent his academic career there, teaching in the Department of Art History, as well as Norwegian language classes. He served two terms as chairman of the department, 1975-1978 and 1984-1987. In addition to his academic career, he served as Director of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa from 1965-1991. He died from pancreatic cancer on October 6, 2000.

Marion John Nelson, B.A. (1947), M.A. (1950), Ph.D. (1960) University of Minnesota. Instructor (1957-1959), assistant professor (1959-1963), associate professor (1963-1971), professor, Department of Art History, University of Minnesota. Considered an expert on Norwegian-American decorative folk and fine art.

Marion Nelson was born in Fergus Fall, Minnesota in 1924, the son of Scandinavian immigrant parents, who became a foremost expert on Norwegian-American decorative, folk, and fine art. He studied at the University of Minnesota, receiving his P.D. in 1960, and spent his academic career there, teaching in the Department of Art History, as well as Norwegian language classes. He served two terms as chairman of the department, 1975-1978 and 1984-1987. In addition to his academic career, he served as Director of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa from 1965-1991. He died from pancreatic cancer on October 6, 2000.